I have been nearly two months in Portugal doing my clinical practice in a hospital and it has been quite an experience! The hospital I am working in is the biggest hospital in Porto and one of the biggest in Portugal. The everyday life in there can be a bit hectic but luckily I have a great tutor nurse to guide me through it. I don’t really speak Portuguese that much, which causes some difficulties sometimes, but I am learning it more and more every day!
There are some nurses and some patients who speak English, but mostly people here know only few words. Despite having no mutual language, the people here are mostly friendly and helpful. You can see the friendliness of Portuguese people in the way the nurses work too. I think the way they encounter the patients are a bit more familiar than in Finland and nurses tend to do everything together there (which sometimes seems a little chaotic to me).
The nurses here are working in teams and they usually do one morning shift, one evening shift and one night shift. Then they have one day off and do the same again. It took a bit time to get used to that kind of working routine and it has its ups and downs. You may have a bit more free time during the days but it also is tiring to do the night shifts so often and it is harder to participate in events for international exchange students for the schedules often overlap one other. I have still had the change to discover the beautiful city with my friend who I am doing the exchange with.
In my spear time I have had the chance to try new things and travel around Portugal. For example, I have been to a wine tasting and tried wall climbing but my favourite thing has been surfing. The beautiful beach in Matosinhos is perfect for beginner surfers and you can easily get surfing lessons there. Travelling around the country is easy as well, just hop on a bus and soon you will find yourself in Lisbon or other interesting cities! The weather here is very unpredictable thouhg, so an umbrella (strong one) is a must here.
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